A powerful downpour of heavenly energy crashed against me, it was like standing under a waterfall, the pressure was pushing me to my knees and I would have buckled down in an instant if I didn't anticipate such. As I thought, every milestone would have the pressure double up, but the thousandth step, the pressure increased exponentially, and I felt like I was about to drown.
I took a deep breath, and grit my old teeth until I felt them about to crack, then I took a powerful step forward. The stomp was mighty enough that I left a print on the staircase, this was new. And it had given me a slight understanding of something mystical, but I couldn't put my hands on it, this step that I took, though it was simple, it hid a secret, a secret that I was going to uncover once this god damned pressure lessens a bit.
But my prayers go unrewarded, as the pressure only increased the more I walked upwards.
The step that crushed the staircase didn't happen again, and I didn't understand why, but no need to fret over things I can't figure out right now, I'll need to first make my way up.
After a few more steps, I felt like my bones were about to break from the pressure, so I sat down in the lotus position, which was damn difficult, as even moving my body under this pressure felt like my limbs were made of lead.
Once I entered my meditation state, I found myself looking at my body, and all of its Poison Meridians, they were suffering, threatening to break. This wasn't good for me. The Spiritual Energy that is assaulting my body was indeed intended to temper my soul, but that would be good only if my body was attuned to the spiritual Qi, as for me, I'm made of Poison Qi.
I tried to channel the poison Qi in my Dantian to reinforce my meridians but it was difficult to course through my spirit veins and reach the meridians, the pressure was powerful enough that it blocked my veins.
My body began shuddering against the pressure. I need to go back, I can't move anymore. This was the only idea that was passing through my mind, I can't keep going, I must give up!
But for some reason, this reasoning felt wrong, I instinctively felt that there was an opportunity here, that I could take, something huge that can allow me to reach greater heights, but why am I being prodded to give up, the thought is so forceful that I'm almost certain it's not mine.
Someone or something is actually trying to temper with my thoughts, so I would give up.
I looked within my shuddering meridians and then noticed something I failed to see the first time. The meridians weren't threatening to shatter…otherwise, under this pressure, they would have broken the first time, they are actually…giddy? Anticipating something even, my whole body is actually shuddering at an incoming fortuitous encounter that I'm failing to even know, notice or see.
Then it hit me like a truck, the energy, this is pure spiritual Qi, not unlike world's Qi, but more like this is a purified version of it, removed from heavenly Law. This is not true spiritual Qi, but a fake one, though even if fake, it was the best thing I could hope for. Natural Heavenly Qi is opposed to my body, and it will not work in tune with it, but this inferior version, this boundless Qi that has no law inside it, would be perfect for my body if I were to add one single thing to it. Something that the spiritual Qi didn't come with. Poison!
I took a breath and forced my meridians to shudder and release all their pent up force against the torrent of the incomplete Qi assaulting me, and where the veins that linked the meridians were forced shut before, they now opened up, causing the poison Qi in me to move through them with savage glee, even tearing some of the veins as they moved to cause me to spit a mouthful of blood from my mouth before I managed to gather my bearing, I need to be calm and can't have my body over exit itself to its demise.
I willed my energy to move about in a slower manner, but strong enough to force its way against the incomplete Qi pressuring me, then when they made a full circulation, I was ready, there and then I opened my mouth and shot a mouthful of my own Poison Qi against the fake QI.
The two mixed together, and the Qi that was incomplete found what was missing within my Qi. Though it wasn't as divine as heavenly law, there was still Law in my own Qi, and it engulfed it and transformed with it. Turning a great majority of this fake Qi into true poison Qi, and lo and behold as the pressure on my body switched from that of a damn pouring against my body to me being a black hole as I consumed all the incoming energy with lustful glee.
Breakthrough came immediately, and I felt my body shudder and shake, Foundation Establishment, second realm, then the third, then the fourth, and it kept going until I reached Foundation Establishment Lower Peak, the seventh layer of the Foundation Establishment cultivation level. My body shuddered as it took in all of that energy and didn't find a way for it to release it, the pressure lessened intently, but I had so much energy within me that needed to be released. And what other way to release this energy but to use a spell.
I found enlightenment in the Poison God's own application of the Poison Tiger Claw, one claw is all the Poison God's book allowed me to learn, and I used the skill as the book instructed, one claw to rend the heavens, and I stood up then struck at the empty air in front of, where five cleaving marks of dense but thin rays of Poison Qi shot out in the air in front of me, they moved with speed enough to contend with Xi Son's bolting out from in front of the Soul Formation Puppets. But I knew, this strength was only temporary. So I used the claw attack again, this time reigning it in.
This was the perfect place to train, as with every attack I did, the fake Qi would merge with my Poison Qi and come towards me to fill me up with even more Qi. Which I used to my advantage in trying these attacks and spells.
And so, I began shooting out claw attacks, Poison Escape, and even a new Skill that the Poison God's Book unlocked for me when I reached the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment. Twisted Snake. An attack that bends perception, giving the one opposing you the sense that your hands were snakes instead of arms, unable to understand where the attack would come from only to have them lying dead at your feet the moment you strike. An insidious attack that plays against one's own sight, for if one were to use their eyes to track the user's arms, they'll die before knowing how it happened.
And best of all, my body, no longer had the thin skin of old people, but a slightly unhealthy skin tone, and far fewer tumors and pustules than before, I could even feel my hair had fully grown back, though I believe it's still gray, it beats being half bald.
And so I continued practicing in this unlimited Qi space. An ascendant cultivator had so many means to create something like this, for many would find this place heaven, I believe for an ascendant cultivator this pagoda is nothing more than a discardable toy. For they can use Saint Qi, which is far superior to regular Qi, as for me, as long as I get to use this fake Qi to my advantage and practice my skills with no regard to Qi consumption, then I'm more than willing to spend a few months here until I perfect all of my skills.
It's high time I start learning how to use the powers at my disposal, as relying always on X will only cause me to grow complacent. And so, my training montage started.
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